This application relates to dynamically categorizing entity information.
On the World-Wide Web (xe2x80x9cWebxe2x80x9d), services known as Internet or Web portals provide hierarchical directories of Web sites. The hierarchical directories include, in Web pages organized by categories, links to Web sites and home pages that are under the control of entities such as businesses. Typically, both the creation of the categories and the assignment of Web sites to the categories are performed with substantial human input, as are any changes to the categories and assignments. For example, after a medical category is created for medical entities such as hospitals, a human searches for hospitals that have Web sites and then assigns the Web sites to the medical category. In such a case, if the medical category is then broken up into multiple subcategories such as a small hospitals subcategory and a large hospitals subcategory, a human must reassign the hospital Web sites to the proper subcategories, by determining which hospitals qualify as small hospitals and large hospitals and reassigning each of the corresponding hospital Web sites accordingly.
Much of the information available on Web sites is organized into Web pages that can be retrieved and displayed by Web browser software under the direction of a user. Each of the Web pages is identifiable by a respective Uniform Resource Locator text string (xe2x80x9cURLxe2x80x9d), such as xe2x80x9chttp://www.isp321.com/frontpage.htmlxe2x80x9d, that the Web browser software can use to select the page. Each URL includes a domain name, such as xe2x80x9cisp321.comxe2x80x9d, that identifies the Web site where the corresponding Web page is stored for retrieval by Web browser software. Each domain name is registered by an entity that controls the corresponding Web site and Web pages. A domain name registry organization maintains the domain name registration information, which may include name, address, and other information that allows the organization to bill the entity for payment for the maintenance. (It is to be understood that the term xe2x80x9cregistryxe2x80x9d, as used herein, also refers to a domain name registrar or any other entity that may provide assistance in registering a domain name.)
An Internet service provider (xe2x80x9cISPxe2x80x9d) is an example of an entity that may have a registered domain name for a Web site. Typically, an ISP has customers such as individuals or businesses for whom the ISP stores Web pages on the Web site for retrieval by Web browser software. For example, the ISP may have a customer Maple Street Plumbing for which the ISP stores a home Web page having a URL that includes a prefix xe2x80x9chttp://www.isp321.com/xcx9cmaplestplumbxe2x80x9d. A home Web page is typically the only or the primary entry point into a Web site or a set of Web pages that are under the control of an entity.
A Web portal is another example of an entity that may have a registered domain name. Typically, a Web portal site allows another entity to create a link from the Web portal site to the other entity""s Web site or home page by submitting information to the Web portal site.
Some information about an entity may not be available on a Web site that is under the control of the entity. For example, public financial information about a company may be stored in a database that is not linked to the company""s Web site or is not directly accessible by Web browser software, such as a database under the control of a financial services firm.
A method and a system are provided that allow categorized directories of Web sites to be created, maintained, and reconfigured easily without excessive human intervention, and that allow the Web sites listed in the categorized directories to be associated with links to additional information about the respective entities that have control over the Web sites. A set of criteria (such as geographical location or corresponding standard industry code) is acquired, from a user or elsewhere, that defines a category of entities. The set of criteria is dynamically applied, to a source such as an entity information database, to identify an entity that meets the criteria. It is determined, from a domain name registration organization or an ISP or elsewhere, that the entity is registered as having control over at least a portion of a World-Wide Web address. The at least a portion of a World-Wide Web address is associated with the entity in a presentation, such as a Web page, that indicates that the entity meets the set of criteria (that is, it belongs to the category of entities). In the presentation, a link may be included to a set of computer data about the entity, such as information about the entity in the entity information database. The set of computer data includes information other than information provided at the World-Wide Web address.
Other features and advantages will become apparent from the following description, including the drawings, and from the claims.